Caring and Sharing
by x Veela x
Summary: We don't often get to see things from a Hufflepuff point of view. A look into the lives of those at Hogwarts that people often neglect, and forget their importance and the contribution they have made. EMxHA JFFxSB.
1. My Defeat

_**D**oesn't** I**t** S**ay** C**haracters **L**astingly** A**re** I**naccurately **M**ine**, E**ver **R**owling's_

**Hannah's writing is italicized, Susie's writing is emboldened. **

**Caring and Sharing**

_Chapter 1 – My Defeat_

I am now officially cross. Yes, me, Hannah Abbot, one of the most tranquil (Susie's word) Hufflepuffs am cross. Why does my surname have to begin with "A"? It's so embarrassing. You have to pay attention to everything; if something happens, say answering teacher's questions, in register order I always get called first. Therefore I have to be listening; otherwise I get caught out…

Wouldn't it be nice to have a surname beginning with, I don't know, say… "M"? Yes, that sounds quite nice, _Hannah McMillan_.

"Oh, my God, you did not just write that." I look to where Susie's finger is pointing, and there, sure enough I see the horror. Why is this so bad? It is absolutely terrible, because I have just spent the last hour and a half, so that's since the beginning of History of Magic, defending my opinion. That is my opinion of not liking Ernie. Don't get me wrong, I like Ernie, but just not in the way Susie is saying I do. And she means in _that_ way.

"Susie, I didn't mean it like that!" I blush while she smiles knowingly at me. Oh dear, now look what I've gone and done. I have no idea why she is so insistent that I like him. Actually that's not true – I have a fairly good idea why, I'm just not sure I like it . . . at all . . . that much . . . Here, let me explain: ever since the beginning of time, it feels, Susie has had a crush on Justin. She will never admit it though – I have no idea why – it's blatantly obvious, why can't she just admit it? Even to me, she pretends she doesn't – it's really silly, I've been trying to get her to say, but she keeps denying it. And because her levels of confidence are no higher than mine, double-dating has always looked a very nice option for the pair of us.

"Yes you did, Hanz, there's only _one_ way that anyone could mean _that_." I gape at her, unable to come up with a suitable answer. _Quick, Hannah, quick, before she starts singi-_

"Hannah and Ernie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," _Too late_. The singsong whisper of my "best friend" makes those few unsuspecting pupils around us start to snigger. Of course, as caring and sharing Hufflepuffs, we normally avoid humiliating each other in front of others, but as this was purely a Hufflepuff lesson, they could enjoy the luxury of laughing quietly to themselves. I was grateful for the fact, however, that they did not turn round to stare at me as I blushed even deeper and sank down in my chair, hitting Susie on her arm. I was rewarded by an "ouch". How kind of her.

My guilty conscience getting the better of me, I rose back up again to hug her, to which affections she succumbed to and hugged me back. When Ernie turned round from his desk at the front (where thankfully Susie's song could not have been heard) to see what the laughter was about, all he saw was the innocent image of us lovely ladies. For which I am very glad. Let's just hope that we have no more "outbursts" before lunch.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Well, so far I have made it to the lunch table unscathed. I hope it remains that way – especially as there seems to be a coincidence in our place at the table . . . There just happened to be two spaces opposite Ernie and Justin. It's a funny thing, that, because when we were walking down the other side of the table, I was sure those two places had upside-down plates on them (meaning that someone had bagged the spaces). Never mind – at least I don't have to seat through a whole lunch of,

"You do."

Don't."

"So do!"

"So do not!" Or so I thought when we originally sat down.

This enrapturing scene has been going on for the past few minutes. The same past few minute's that the boys' forks have been froze midway to their mouths as they watch us with half amused, half curious and half exasperated looks on their faces. Slightly confused myself at this train of thought, I broke off our little battle of the wills.

"Three halves don't make one do they?" I enquired looking hopefully at my friends around me as if they might prove me wrong. I've noticed that at times where I want to be right I'm wrong, and at times where I want to be wrong I'm right. Gosh, what an amazing skill. I'm just full of these little treasures.

"No, babes." Ernie replied. I sighed dispiritedly as this time, my theory fitted in with the usual pattern of – _Hang on, did he just call me "babes"?_ I looked quizzically at him – his gorgeous, high cheek bones were looking particularly- _Hannah!_ At my mental scolding I made myself carry on in a somewhat more appropriate manner. Okay, so he was blushing. That may have been because he is now currently choking on his pie, or that may be because . . . Yes, because he is choking on his pie. So, deciding to give him the benefit of doubt, I made the most eloquent reply of,

"What? No, sorry, pardon?" I waited apprehensively for his answer, hoping my concerns weren't showing on my face. Judging by Justin's expression I think I was doing rather well seeing as I also had the difficult job of subtly pressing on Susie's foot lightly to stop her laughing. Oh, maybe I got a bit mixed up with my definitions of "light" and "hard". It's really a very easy mistake to make.

Having now swallowed his mouthful, Ernie repeated, "No, Hanz." I think I managed a small "oh" before turning my thoughts to myself, trying desperately not to notice the dip in my stomach – what on Earth was that about? I didn't let myself ponder.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**So, what was up with lunch, eh babes?**

_Oh, shut up – he said Hanz. I bet it was just you hearing what you want to hear because of this ridiculous argument of yours that is not, in anyway whatsoever true._

**Methinks the lady doth protest too much! Hehehe. He likes you back, Hanz, besides he's really nice and quite fit too – nudge, nudge, wink, wink, know what I mean, know what I mean!**

_Susie! For the last time – it's not happening – la la la can't hear it. See – it's gone. Vamoosh, bye bye! Anyway I'm sure you don't think he's as fit as someone randomly sitting behind us so he can poke you in the back asking for a spare quill, say Justin . . ._

**Oh, when will you ever give up? **

**_Never!_**

**Okay, I'll tell you what – I'll admit I like Justin if you admit you like Ernie.**

"Fine." I whisper to her, so as not to be overheard by any two boys in particular.

Oh. My. God. I do not believe I have just done that. I have just ruined all my hard work of five years, since first year, all in just one word. Why do I open my mouth? I think it must have a brain of its own. Yes, it definitely must have a brain of its own.

Now fully defeated, I turn back to reading about Colouring Charms. It would be a lot easier to understand if my edition wasn't in black and white. Looking at Susie's, I see that hers is fully in colour . . . and she seems to be smiling suspiciously . . . Oh that girl thinks she's sooo good, doesn't she?

_**Now all you need to do is press that tiny periwinkle button and type some words in the box – easy peasy lemon squeezy!**_

_**Love,**_

_**x Imperial Princess x**_


	2. Quality Time

**Disclaimer: Sigh, the time you spend wishing you owned this amazing series is wasted – you could be writing that you don't own it, now doesn't that sound better…**

**I apologise for the tense changes in the previous chapter – I assure you they are not like that in this chapter.**

**Caring and Sharing**

_Chapter2 – Quality Time_

_Oh no, oh no. Calm, Hannah, calm._ I have the unfortunate tendency to get slightly panicky every now and then. This moment is a now and tomorrow morning it will become a then. I am about to put myself through an extremely nerve-wracking experience. I am going to be totally reliant on myself not to make any mistakes because Susie won't be around to help. I have also made a mental list of the top three of many things I need to remember.

_One_ – watch where I am going – I really don't want to fall over, trip over my own feet (or my words for that matter, but that is a separate point) and land flat on my face.

_Two_ – do not mumble – it will be really embarrassing if I keep having to repeat myself "a little louder".

_Three_ – when in doubt, smile don't pout! Well, that's what Mum taught me and she's usually always right.

Why am I stressing? It's not that big a deal anyway – I mean, I've known Ernie almost all my life and everything – why does a few hours of Prefect duty matter? It matters because we will be alone together; not that I haven't been alone with him before, but this is after the Confession Session. There is also a teensy bit of a chance that we may encounter couples. Yes, we have seen couples at Hogsmede together holding hands and all that sort of thing, but this time they will be out of the public eye.

We will be intruding on couples in deserted classrooms after hours doing perhaps a bit more coupley things than we see normally. You get my message? Oh my gosh, this is going to be very embarrassing. I have a whole worst case scenario acting out in my head. What if when we ask them what they are doing, they reply something like, "exactly what you two should be doing"? That will be so humiliating…

"Hannah?" Ernie's voice whispered up the girls' staircase, "Are you ready to go?" He is so considerate. His manners are absolutely impeccably polite. A nervous smile appeared on my face as I straightened my skirt and grabbed my wand.

I made my way down the staircase, not looking up at Ernie before I reached the end. _Number One so far was working well_. I smiled at him and he returned it, gesturing over to the portrait hole to which he very kindly held open for me to go through first. _Number Three encountered no problems – I love you, Mum!_

"So, where do we start?" Okay, so not the most eloquent of sentences, but my diction was rather brilliant even if I do say so myself. _Number Two was a success._

"Well," he replied, "Seeing as we're not the only prefects on duty and that the others tonight are Gryffindors, I suggest we do the lower floors first, seeing as they are closest to us and farthest from them." Ernie lit his wand tip and I imitated him before we started off down the corridor in companiable silence. For this I was feeling secretly pleased because it meant that even though we weren't making conversation, being with me wasn't awkward. The warm glow that spread out around us made me feel warm and comfortable inside and without me noticing, my qualms were ebbing away.

There it is – the first classroom. We knocked on the door cautiously and then opened it. It was empty. I felt a tension loosen in me, but then double as we came to the next closed door. Duplicating our previous actions, I almost heard a sigh of relief from beside me when the results were as before. My mind laughed gleefully as I realised that he was as nervous as I was. As did my earlier reservations, the tension evaporated until we were both quite calm at the notion of interrupting a bit more than a late night study session.

Classroom after classroom was empty – that is, until we reached the second floor. I distinctly heard a muffled titter. Sharing an anxious glance with Ernie, we knocked on the door. We didn't get an answer. Warily, we edged the door open to catch sight of two figures, one third year settled quite comfortably on the professor's desk with her boyfriend playing with her hair as he kissed her delicately. I thanked my lucky stars that it was a gentle moment that we interrupted.

Ernie gave a discreet cough that went unnoticed and then another. At the second one, the boy turned around guiltily and looked shameful at being caught. The girl was blushing deeply as one hand went to cover her mouth's exclamation of shock while she reached out to take her boyfriend's hand for a squeeze of reassurance. There was a slight pause and then I managed to regain the power of speech,

"Erm, I think it's a little after hours, don't you?" They were relieved that we were Hufflepuff prefects and this did not go unnoticed by either of us. Instead of making it any more uneasy for them, however we took five points from each of them and gave them a small scolding.

We carried on our way down the now deserted corridor, Ernie making a slight huff as he shoved his hands in his pockets dejectedly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, observing that obviously something was amiss. Ernie was usually very good natured and even tempered. He huffed about a bit more before replying, trying to hit upon the right words.

"You perceived that those two were thankful that it was a Hufflepuff patrol that discovered them, yes?" I nodded and he carried on, "Well, I feel that Hufflepuffs have been, rather unfairly, stereotyped as the duffers of the school. And I think that this isn't right to think that, just because we do things nicely and justly, not sneaking around behind anyone's backs or cheating or bragging about what we've done. Before it never really irritated me, but it's just recently got to me when I heard someone ask "Who are the _Hufflepuff_ prefects, then?" as if we didn't deserve a chance because we weren't as good as they were, or like they were going to take advantage of us." I listened intently to him. It was not very common for him to have what others might term a "rant" and I knew that he must have been seriously thinking about this matter that clearly meant a lot to him.

Thinking carefully about my answer that he required, but also wanting to buy time, I wondered who it was that had upset him so. Yes, their words were against me also, but there must have been more to ruffle him like that. I frowned as curiosity overtook me,

"Why does what they think matter to you?" I enquired. Ernie stopped walking and held me back as well, his hand on my shoulder. I felt a tingle run through my body as his thumb brushed my collarbone and his eyes that were usually calm and peaceful darkened and blazed into mine. I wondered whether I actually wanted to hear his response.

"It wasn't their opinions that mattered; they practically insulted me, but that wasn't what got me. They said prefects as in prefect plural. That means both of us; that means you. They insulted you." My mouth formed into an "o" while a delighted elation filled me. _They insulted you._ Those words repeated over and over again in my head while Ernie waited for a reaction.

My lips were still parted; _Number Three broken_. "They insulted me," I murmured not quite loud enough for his to distinguish; _Number Two down the drain._ I tried to take a step backwards, but my foot collided with the end of a knight's spear and I fell backwards, hitting the clashing suit of armour, but remaining where I was as Ernie leant over me, one hand around my waist, the other centrally between my shoulder blades; _Number One out the window and vanishing into the horizon._ I shut my eyes tightly as I waited for the banging beneath me to turn into noisy echoes and Ernie pulled me closer to his body and away from the fallen knight's attire.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his faced quite shocked and concerned. I nodded weakly, the shock of the whole situation making my heart pound again as I tried to calm myself. "You're safe, Hannah, I've got you," he told me. Having known me for an amount of time I really didn't want to count just then, he knew my emotions well enough to sense what was going through my mind.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, our breath synchronizing as I calmed down. He moved me upright so my weight was on my feet again his arm leaving my shoulders but lingering around my waist. "Thank you." I breathed, not wanting to look at his face. I didn't want to know what it held; shock, regret, happiness, concern, irritation, a mix of them all? I knew whatever his expressions were telling me were going to be a complicated web that needed unravelling and I didn't want to have to face that just yet.

"Mr McMillan? Miss Abbott?" Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice grew louder as he drew nearer. "Whatever is the matter? Are you unhurt?" It never ceases to amaze me how clever that tiny man is. He always knows where to look and he always knows exactly what to do about things.

"Yes, Sir." Ernie's voice was oddly low, "A knight just jumped out at Hannah." He smiled, trying to lighten the dense tension sweeping through the corridor. I kept quiet, not wanting to open my mouth for fear of the squeaks that would leave it. After checking our general wellbeing, the Charms Professor returned back the way he came with permission for us to return to the Hufflepuff common room early.

We walked back in silence, but again, it did not possess discomfort and I noticed that Ernie's hand did not leave my back throughout the whole duration of our return. Evidently, our little, ahem, _disturbance_ did not wake the whole school. The Hufflepuffs were safely tucked away in their dormitories. As I was about to walk through the entrance to our common room, I suddenly drew back. _"Atichoo!"_ and again,I sneezed, _"atichoo!"_ Producing a tissue from his pocket, Ernie gave me a calculating look.

After my little sneezing fit, I tried to shoo the dust off of my clothes, noticing that it covered him as well. He suddenly voiced his thoughts, "Hanz, I know it's late and technically after hours but you're not going to get to sleep like that. I'm going to the Prefect's Bathroom, would you like to come?" I nodded, knowing that he didn't mean it in _that_ way and sneaked up the stairs to my room. Making sure that Susie was well and truly asleep and had not waited up for me, I drew my trunk out from under my bed and opened the lock with a click. Slipping off my dusty clothes and folding them into the laundry basket, I drew on my favourite yellow bikini underneath my black jogging bottoms and matching jacket. Putting clean underwear in a small bag for when I'd finished along with a hairbrush, I returned down stairs to find Ernie waiting patiently by the door for me. I hoped he had not been waiting long.

As we crept along the empty corridors, I looked at him, taking in his appearance. His blonde hair had lost some of it's curl as it grew longer and was now short waves not long enough to frame his face, but long enough for a stray strand to flop into his eyes. I sighed mentally to myself. Like me, he had chosen black to cover his shorts probably for the same reasoning as I did. It seems he wasn't particularly keen to get caught either. I noticed him looking at me, but I didn't say anything. Wondering if he thought I was as beautiful in my amazing fashion statement as I thought he was, we entered the large room and locked the door behind us. The lock clicked into place and the sound reverberated around the walls. I heard a muttered "Silencio." From behind me – that boy really does think of everything, doesn't he?

**_Oh, I know, aren't I mean stopping it there? Hehehe – the more reviews I get, the quicker you get an update!_**

_**Love,**_

_**x Imperial Princess x**_


	3. A Golden Light

**Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Bravo, Sherlock – they're not mine, that means they're not yours either.**

**This chapter is written for all of us that have our little insecurities – whether we admit them or not. I am reminding you that you are not alone with your feelings and someone somewhere will definitely share them. **

**Caring and Sharing**

_Chapter 3 – A Golden Light_

**Previously: **

_I noticed him looking at me, but I didn't say anything. Wondering if he thought I was as beautiful in my amazing fashion statement as I thought he was, we entered the large room and locked the door behind us. The lock clicked into place and the sound reverberated around the walls. I heard a muttered "Silencio." From behind me – that boy really does think of everything, doesn't he? _

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I watched, enraptured as he removed his top. It fascinates me that girls undo their tops, before sliding them off, but boys never seem to do that. They don't even take them off like girls remove jumpers either, but somehow manage to haul the back up and drag the front with it a bit before they're suddenly blinded and their arms are waving in the air, grabbing at the material from behind. Before, it had just spellbound me; now, I was forced to resort to being awestruck, enraptured by the mesmerising view placed so openly before me as one would drizzle chocolate sauce onto ice cream. Ernie was never one of the showy-offy kind of irritating jerks that hung around coincidentally close to the stairs leading to the girls dormitory comparing muscles or inadvertently glancing at . . . erm . . . other body parts. All I have to say is why ever not? I mean, tcha, he's not really an egoistical type of flash git who is bulging with muscle and confidence, but he's . . . well, he's perfect.

The pressure on having a "perfect" body nowadays is, like, really really big but just who do Witch Weekly think they are – telling us what we should wear, how to behave and what type of guy we should go for according to our "compatibility levels". I mean, it's just a load of tosh. Seriously – I actually have now stopped my subscriptions. I will now conveniently forget the fact that I begged Susie to let me read hers with her because I was too proud to subscribe to it again after Professor Flitwick praised me for "looking to the person within" rather than just the exterior. After all, I _am _a prefect. Honestly, I just couldn't miss out on our magazine time together picking apart all the celebrities – it's so fun!

Anyway, so where was I? Oh, yes . . . Ernie. For the few seconds that his sight was impeded I just stared. Honestly, if truth be told, he wasn't really that good a catch back in First Year. I, myself, did not agree with this particular viewpoint, but then again I did just think earlier on in life that he was someone who would always play hide and seek with me. So, therefore, I kept my timid opinions to myself, thinking that it was just me being weird. But for once in my life I was right! He looks so good – I think school shirts should be banned. Forever. He should never be allowed to wear a shirt again – it is now officially, by my law, a crime! Okay so maybe he hasn't quite got all the defined muscles like some of the annoying blokes who always disobey us, but he is certainly enough for me. All his cute baby "podge" has just flattened and I know from earlier on tonight that it definitely is not squidgy like it used to be but all firm and . . . tenseable.

In those few moments, I felt like I was going to hyperventilate, but then his jacket was gone – the t-shirt stuck inside it as they sometimes do, and I was able to see the full intensity of it all. For my own sake, he himself should almost not be allowed. He let out a breath as he flung his jacket around to drop the t-shirt out of it, some of his hair flopping again into his eyes. He brushed it away impatiently and then proceeded to pick up his t-shirt and fold it neatly with his jacket onto a bench. Shall I say that again? He _folded_ his _own_ clothes up and kept them _off the floor_. Ernie seriously can _not _get any better – I'm sure of it.

Okay, maybe I'm not so sure. He turned around, standing back up as those few strands flew back to their preferred spot impeding his vision a shade. He smiled. My heart nearly stood still! The best was yet to come, though. I returned the smile – or at least I hope I did, I'm pretty sure that when someone smiles at you, you automatically smile back at them – and was stunned by what happened next. He had somehow placed his shoes with his upper clothing and bent, barefoot by the edge of the swimming pool-like bath and leaned towards the taps.

"What colours do you want, Hanz?" he asked me. My heart just melted right there. He was just so amazing – why could no-one else see this? A tiny part of me felt happy – correction: ecstatic – because I knew that no-one else except for me could see this (and Susie, but only because I told her) so I felt safe in the knowledge that he was mine to love, not anyone else's. However, the larger, kinder side of me felt sorry for all the poor people who didn't have a clue about Ernie – think about it for a second, their lives are completely and utterly devoid of him – how on Earth do they cope?

This melting took a split second and, amazingly enough, I had a coherent answer for him. "Yellow and silver, please." I didn't even have to think about it which, judging by my state of mind just then, was a good thing. He obligingly reached for a few taps and a beautiful array of bubbles and water poured out of it.

The stunning thing was that the water had a silvery-blue tint to it that set of the sunshine yellow mixing with a fluid stream of gold to give a heavenly feel and aroma to the room. An almost untraceable steam floated around me, carrying with it an almost heavy, dense but moist texture and a relaxing, inviting smell. Again, my eyes were mesmerised at the liquids flowing up to the top of the pool. The silvery blue cast patterns on the ceiling, as the candles around us automatically dimmed to show off the fabulous designs the bathroom was boasting. The surface looked at though the sun was setting as the yellows varied from deep almost orange, through to lemon, sunshine and an almost creamy blue. All through this a golden liquid flowed, quite literally like a golden stream, spiralling around as oil drifts over water.

Self-consciously I walked to the edge of the pool and trailed my hand across the surface. I will never forget that feeling of total and utter contentment that I felt just then. All of my insecurities just seemed to vanish. It didn't matter that for the past few years I had hated looking into the mirror. I looked down and saw my reflection in the water, tinted with gold.

It was as though looking at myself for the first time again. I saw myself without all the mental barriers I had shielded around me – my braids had grown out; my face had thinned as had my stomach. Yea, I was in fifth year ad still couldn't fit into a 34 A and had to make do with a AA, but it set me apart from everyone else. Was this how Ernie saw me?

Following his example, I turned from him to unzip my tracksuit, and place everything on the bench, leaving me in my (padded) yellow bikini. I steeled myself to turn round but couldn't manage it. What would he think of me? I heard the drop of his clothes and knew that if I turned round now he would be feeling as scared as I was.

My neatness had failed me though. I had put my clothes next to his and then forgot that he would need to add one more piece to his pile. I tingled as he moved to stand next to me, and looked down at his hands as they folded.

"Hanz, Do you want to come in?" I made myself look up and I was so glad I did. His eyes weren't staring at my body, but looking gently at my face. What was more, I could see no traces of disgust or revulsion there. Instead I saw, quite the opposite. As I forced myself to tear my gaze away from his, I noticed his outstretched hand. With only a slight tremble I put my tiny hand into his warm, large one and he led me to the edge.

We stood there for a couple of seconds looking over the exquisite splendour and I am sure that above his head, on the surface drifted a circular ring of gold. The ring drifted towards my reflected blonde locks and I smiled. This was Ernie, what was I worried about? He had stuck next to me through thick and thin, supported me, listened to me – I had done the same for him.

He stood slightly in front of me – a position he had adopted without me realising it for most of my life. Although he was expecting it, he did me the justice of letting out a yell when I pushed him in. What I hadn't been counting on was him not letting go of me. I screamed as I hit the warm water with him, more out of happiness than of anything else. He dragged me back to the surface and the picture of a mermaid on the wall laughed with us as we emerged from the depths, both of us smiling.

**_I know, I'm dragging it out – aren't I mean hehehe… _**

**_Love, _**

**_x Imperial Princess x _**


	4. Justice

**Disclaimer: **

**Roses are red, **

**Violets are blue, **

**I don't own it, **

**And neither do you. **

_- _

_I'd like to say that Caring and Sharing is inspired by and dedicated to Katie, the loveliest Hufflepuff I know, even though she won't admit it and thinks she's a Gryffindor… _

_We both know I'm right really … _

_- _

**Caring and Sharing **

_Chapter 4 – Justice _

**Previously: **

_He stood slightly in front of me – a position he had adopted without me realising for most of my life. Although he was expecting it, he did me the justice of letting out a yell when I pushed him in. What I hadn't been counting on was him not letting go of me. I screamed as I hit the warm water, more out of happiness than of anything else. He dragged me back to the surface and a picture of a mermaid laughed with us as we emerged from the depths, both of us smiling. _

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

My hair still slightly damp from the night's frivolities, I sneaked up the girls' staircase. Subtly, I crept down the corridor in the dark and silently pushed the door open. I turned around to close it carefully again before letting out a breath. I was safe, now. On tiptoes, I stealthily made my way over to my bed and cautiously began –

"And just where have you been?" Inwardly I cringed, maybe outwardly too, now that I think about it, as Susie's whisper cut through my cunning plan, decimating it into insignificant fragments. I froze, pretending that I hadn't heard her; well it was dark, maybe if I stood really still, she wouldn't see me.

"Hannah, I can see you." Maybe not.

"Err Prefect duty?" my voice was shaky and I hoped that her powers of observation did not extend that far.

"I don't believe you." Her sing song voice (well, it was more of a whisper seeing as we were not so inconsiderate as to wake up the rest of the girls) rang out. Once again, my hopes were dashed.

"Honestly, Ernie and I were doing Prefect duty." I replied a tad bit more confidently now. After all, we _had_ been doing Prefect duty…a bit…sort of…not really…

"Then why is your hair wet?" That girl is like a hawk sometimes, I swear. I was reawakened to the situation by her pointedly looking down. Ah. My eyes followed as I watch a drip drizzle down the edge of a golden strand of hair to where it reached the end and split its path from the flicking up to drop down to the centre of the earth…well, onto her arm, anyway. She tapped her nails against the bed post as I turned round to sort myself out; I hate it when my hair drips all the way down my back.

"Hannah I'm waiting." No reply (aside from the chuckling in my head, but I didn't think she'd be best impressed if I laughed at her). She sighed, "Were you with Ernie?" Oh dear, this again.

"Yes." I dutifully answered whilst she moved over on her bed so that I could join her.

"Did you kiss?" I knew this one would come next.

"No." I smirked, knowing the frustration this was causing her.

"But something happened, right?" Her voice was almost bursting with not knowing something I did.

"Maybe." I stifled a laugh and moved away before she could grab me back again. "Night, Susie." Her slight scowl was suddenly closed out by my hangings.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I am so stunned; we actually made our path all the way from the common room to the Great Hall and then all the way to where Ernie and Justin were seated with only six deflected attempts from Susie to find out what happened. Even more surprisingly, I hadn't given in! She must be losing her touch.

Ernie and I shared _A Look_ as we sat opposite the boys. It was a magic moment again – boys think that they can get anywhere by just flashing their pearly whites, don't they? Well…Ernie probably can, in my opinion…

My heart was beating double its usual pace; was this going to be awkward? Had we put a halt to conversation? Was Susie going to beg Ernie to tell her what went on? Why did I not want to tell Susie myself? The questions were endless, buzzing round and round in my head.

My eyes slid back into focus again onto Ernie passionately stating with chopping hand movements that banged with force on the table (making it wince slightly) as the cutlery clattered and chinked against other tableware, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.**" **He paused to stare at each of us before continuing on his speech.

I felt the table jolt slightly as Susie stifled a giggle. Obviously things between her and Justin were looking up if they were playing footsie under the table. I brought my thoughts back to Ernie. His eyes flashed with enthusiasm and that crop of hair was back in front of his eyes again. His nostrils flared slightly, like a dragon breathing fire. Seriously, I expected flames to shoot from him and burn everything… no, hang on, he's already singe-worthy… maybe blaze-worthy…no, inferno worthy… Anyway, I'm getting myself carried away here. Flames hot out and scorched the table, charring everything in sight to cinders with smoke fluttering upwards towards the enchanted ceiling, and – No, I'm getting myself confused, it was only my cheeks that went up in flames.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So, Hanz, aren't you going to tell your bestest friend in the whole wide world who you love very much," she took a breath, "what happened?" Susie gushed as we entered Greenhouse 4.

"Err…" I pretended to consider it, "no." I am sooo mean. I offered her a duster or a spray. She pouted as she almost snatched the duster from me, "Why nooooot?" She whined.

"Becaaauuuuuuse." I imitated her as she bent down to start cleaning the Veelaria leaves – a delicate plant originating from France that Madame Sprout trusted only her O.W.L. level students with. I heard the plant sigh as she gently stroked the duster over the leaves, carefully avoiding hurting the beautiful petals held together precariously so that they flowed open, displaying their white centers as the colours blended into blue, purple, or red.

Susie pouted and raised a hand to shield her eyes as I began to cover the leafy plants that wound their way around a thin circular beam on the ceiling with the light, filmy red liquid in my spray.

"Come on, Susie, seriously it was nothing – I mean look at you and Justin this morning!" I tried to distract her. She let out a girlish giggle unintentionally. It actually worked! I wasn't letting this opportunity pass, "So? What was _that_ about?" I pressed.

"Well, whilst you two were off saving the school from rule-breaking." Personally, I thought saving the universe from destruction sounded more heroic, but I didn't dare interrupt her flow," Justin and I… had a little… umm…chat." I raised an eyebrow, "About… umm… things." She finished rather lamely.

Oh yes, I'm sure they had a little "chat" about "things"… Just like Ernie and I had a "paddle" after "prefect duty"…

"So you two kissed?" I bet she chickened out. I bet he was going to kiss her and she moved forward, but turned it into a hug at the very last second because she was too scared.

She looked up from polishing her plant as I halted my spraying, "Well…" she began, "at first it was just him sitting there all by himself, and I came down to get my umm… my…" she looked back to her plant and began working again, making a large shuffling noise cleverly concealing her "missing" item from reaching my ears – subtle, Susie, subtle – and I began spraying again, twisting round to reach the inner circle as she carried on,

"So then he invited me to come and sit with him, and he looked a bit upset, so I did, and we just started talking about everything... and… he…umm, leaned forward, and so I leaned forward and then I started thinking really bad things like, "what if it's just pity" and, "maybe he's given up getting anyone else", and then that lead to "why would he want me" and "what if I'm rubbish" and then I remembered that time that I overheard Parvati and Lavender saying that if you could tie a cherry stem in a knot with your tongue it made you a good kisser, and I remember us trying to tie cherry stems and not being able to do it and… I just got scared, so I turned it into a hug."

Oh yes, I am so on a roll. No, Hannah, that's mean! Find something positive, something positive…"Did he hug you back?" Her face brightened into her usual sunny smile. I copied her expression and we just stood there grinning at each other over her success. "But seriously, Susie, that cherry thing was in Second year." I reminded her.

"I know, I know!" She protested, "But I was just getting really worried about it and how I didn't want to mess it up, but I knew if I tried too hard, it would all fail. To be honest, I think he was a bit scared too." We laughed again and the Veelaria brushed Susie's arm with one of the leaves to remind her that she wasn't finished.

She dutifully continued tending to her plant and carried on talking to me, "So, there you are – I've told you about me, now you have to tell me about you." She persuaded.

"Susiiiiie." I moaned, I just knew that she'd rabbit on about it for ages and then we'd get onto the "you're really pretty, Hannah, you should have more self respect" lecture again.

"It's sooo unfair!" She needled. Suddenly, her face broke out into a smug smile. I didn't like the look of this. I didn't like the look of this at all… "So, Hannah," her fatal words began, "how does it feel to be a threat to justice?"

I gasped and would have sprayed her, an all too familiar (and sexy) voice sounded out from behind me as the door to Greenhouse 4 swung closed again, "Hannah, a threat to justice? Surely not." I glared at Susie – well, that is I _tried _to glare at her, but I'm sure that my self satisfied smirk that Ernie had come an hour early for his Herbology duty prevailed over my glare…

_**Reviews would be lovely, if you would leave them… **_

_**Love, **_

_**x Imperial Princess x **_


	5. Into Flower

**Disclaimer: Oh no, the time has come when I have to admit that I don't own Harry Potter. Reality's comebacks are so low.**

**Caring and Sharing**

_Chapter __5 – Into Flower_

**Previously:**

_I gasped and would have sprayed her, but an all too familiar (and sexy) voice sounded out from behind me as the door to Greenhouse 4 swung closed again, "Hannah, a threat to justice? Surely not." I glared at Susie – well, that is I tried to glare at her, but I'm sure that my self satisfied smirk that Ernie had come an hour early for his Herbology duty prevailed over my glare…_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I turned around; trying to wipe the smirk off my face, but the good-natured expression on his face just turned it into a smile to rival Susie's. Yet another thing I loved about Ernie – he did friendly teasing, not cruel teasing.

"I'm not a threat to justice!" I protested, whipping around to continue my spraying. Well – I tried to anyway. Trust my luck to reach the taller spiral of the plant. I pretended my plan was working.

Susie gasped theatrically, "You so are! You clearly don't trust me and that's not fair." She said in a small voice. Oh, if only I believed her – she knew exactly what to do to make me feel bad. I gave up my pretence and turned around, nearly toppling off my stool. Ernie made a sudden jerk as if to get ready to catch me if I actually did fall, but he turned the sudden motion into "turning away to cough" when I regained my balance. Part of me wondered whether it was worth falling over again purely to be caught, but then I saw Susie's "downcast" expression.

Even fully knowing that she was putting it on, I could help but reassure her, "No – I trust you the world, Susie and you know it." I paused before adding, "But I'm still not saying." I mused to myself as to_ why_ I was not saying – my glee at dangling it in front of her had evaporated. I really, really wanted to tell her, but I felt that somehow I wasn't quite ready. What if I was reading too much into it? What if Ernie didn't like me that way? My frets came to an abrupt standstill in horror as they came up with the possibility that Ernie had been hoping that I would be alone! What if he was going to ask me out? What should I say? What if he wanted to … to kiss me? Suddenly Susie's concerns with Justin became solidified and real as they tortured my own mind.

I came back to the world and realized that Ernie had taken a perch upon one of the old, wooden stools encrusted with soil at the end of the legs. My heart almost stopped as I looked up into his face. I seriously don't know how people can even _consider_ anyone else when they could have Ernie. Then again, that rather works in my favour – so I'll keep schtum about it for now. Okay, so he wasn't dark and brooding like Harry Potter, or a vibrant joker like the Weasley twins. There was nothing shadowy or mysterious about him like that Blaise Zabini in Slytherin (who, in my opinion, appears to be getting around a bit more than he should). Roger Davies' wit and charm held nothing against his honest, open face. He looked at me with a kindness and concern – whether for my troubles or for my apparent lack of trust I wasn't sure.

My confused mind gave a little mirthful smile as it added – or maybe even my so-called "injustice" about not telling Susie everything. Okay, I admit, it would be a first that either of us has not given in to telling the other every singe itty bitty detail of every single nanosecond of our lives … maybe he did have reason for his concern. A prideful overtone added _concern about me!_

I sighed, my sense of good will winning out, "Fine, then. I'll tell you all of it later tonight." I told Susie, her face lighting up instantly into a cheeky smile. Suddenly Ernie was on his feet again.

"But – but," we both turned to him, a bit shocked, although expectant, "Hannah can't tell you tonight – I mean. Hum," He cleared his throat, and I think we must have leaned in slightly for this astonishing explanation. I glanced briefly at Susie to share an _I-don't-know-any-more-than-you-do_ look before fixing our eyes avidly on Ernie once more.

"I was going to – she was going to – She can't …" He seemed to have noticed that he had just been organizing my evening for me once more (not that I minded), for he continued, "She's going to come to the Library and do that exceptionally difficult Charm essay with … with _me._" He sounded almost disappointed as he looked down at his feet.

My heart just crumpled at the look of him. Yes, yes, I know, I've been saying this about a million times since forever, but seriously – how could _anyone_ say no to him? I just turned and looked at Susie, "Well, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning. Didn't you say you were going to sit in the common room with Justin tonight and talk about something?" I pressed her. She had, of course, said no such thing, but I bet she was planning to anyway.

I mean, come on – this is Susie we're talking about here. She says she was scared and all, but I bet tonight she'll go for it. She has such a heart of gold, encased in strong steel – ready to do battle with any fear that tries to grip her. Well, more likely she would melt the fear away with her charming smile, but I think you get my point.

"Oh," she stood up, suddenly _remembering_, "Oh of course. You're not getting out of this so easily though, Hannah!" she waggled a warning finger at me. Looking at both of us after returning her duster to the box, "Well I'll have to go and get that essay done now – I've already started half of it. See you later!" Before either of us could squeeze a word in edgeways, she had vanished through the glass doors and was skipping across the lawns to the castle … Leaving Ernie with me entirely alone (scream).

I had expected there to be an awkward silence, but he just took the spray out of my hand and shooed me off the stool so he could spray the leaves I could not quite reach. I took over his responsibility of ensuring all the new shoots trailing up from the ground were tucked neatly around their trellis, weaving in and out to soak up as much glorious sunlight as possible. Well, they would if the sun was actually shining.

Unfortunately, in the chilly September air hung a mist of low clouds attempting to cover the other more, fighting over the greyish expanse of the sky. Still, our plants deserve the best – safely in the knowledge that they would be getting sun if there was any sun to be had. My thoughts were brought back to my studies by Ernie,

"So what do you reckon we're going to have to put in that essay, then?" He asked, twisting around with the plant, his broad shoulders inadvertently lifting up the bottom of his hoodie, revealing a gorgeous lower stomach to me. I assured myself I was _not_ drooling, before replying,

"I don't know – I think I'll have to read the Colouring chapter again. Susie was practising making my textbook black and white, and I didn't notice until she started giggling suspiciously. That rather explains why I didn't really understand it." I smiled up at him sheepishly.

His chortle was warm and mellow, striking a resonant sound inside me that made it extremely difficult to concentrate on coaxing the younger tendrils to stay put, "It's not that hard, really." Ernie was trying to convince me as he stepped down from the stool. His eyes lit up as an idea suddenly hit him. He swooped down and hoisted a few recently fallen petals from the Veelaria, "Watch." He needlessly asked me.

Taking his wand from his front pocket, his swished it with a small swirl. I openly stared in amazement as the petal slowly changed colour before me. Okay, yes we could all make things change colour – but we were supposed to be blending things with their surroundings for camouflage.

Ernie took my hand and held it out palm up, gently shifting the petals onto it. I'm sure my beaming smile would have been enough sunshine for the whole greenhouse as I gazed at the treasure in my hand. "Now, if you pot those petals in shooting complex, they'll all grow like that. I had to change their make up a bit, but I'm sure they don't mind." I recalled Professor Sprout engraving upon our minds that new Veelaria plants grew from petals, not from ordinary cuttings. I squeaked in delight as I began finding the right pot for my little plant-to-be. Soon, I hoped, I could have a mini plant! Even better – it would be both of ours together. My hand stilled for a moment as I realised he had just given me my first flower. I really didn't think my smile could get any brighter.

Ernie chuckled at my childish glee as pottered about the greenhouse, rummaging around for the perfect soil. Once I had found what I was looking for, I realised that the movement had stopped behind me. Ernie watched as I scattered the petals into the soil. We watched as they joyfully snuggled into the warmth with an audible sigh. Our petals. Our silver and yellow petals.

_**So what do you think?**__** I'd love to know – leave a review, please?**_

_**Love,**_

_**x Imperial Princess x**_


	6. Second Worries

**Disclaimer: Oh no, the time has come when I have to admit that I don't own Harry Potter. Reality's comebacks cut so low.**

**Caring and Sharing**

_Chapter 6 – Second Worries_

My eyes opened, rather groggily for my normal, cheery, bright and early starts. I squinted up, my body feeling far too heavy for me to even consider turning over to check the time. I suddenly realised that the hole in the top corner of my bed hangings wasn't letting in the customary strands of wispy light that had woken me up for the past few years.

My heart seized up. Where was I? Why could I not move? What had happened to me over the night? Oh my God I had been kidnapped, hadn't I? Oh no! I'd never see Susie or Mum or Justin… or… I forced myself to say the last name to myself… Ernie.

I paused myself mid-ramble to analyse my thoughts currently weaving in and out of insanity quicker than Nan knits her Christmas scarves. Never a good combination. My thoughts and insanity, I mean – not the fluffy, warm bundles of fuzz that wrap around you so soft and… Ahem. Where was I? Oh. Thoughts. Though surprisingly, insanity and my thoughts are a combination that happens with astoundingly frightening regularity. I mean, I hadn't even been able to move or see where I was, and already I was panicking about the whole entire universe.

Hang on. Wait there one cotton picking minute. If the friendly snippets of light that had woken me continuously for the past few year did NOT wake me up, then why was I lying here in what apparently, was a snugly warm environment that felt comfortingly like my duvet, staring up at… well… nothingness.

I peered closer, hearing a slight sniffle from above me. It wasn't nothingness! Well, thank goodness for that. I don't think my favourite way to die would me to mysteriously fall into the abyss in my sleep. Although I have heard of the ill Vanishing Cabinets which are disturbingly like getting into a box that works like a Portkey… Only without knowing where it's going to take you. But that would not explain why I saw flickers of red glimmering in the non-nothingness above me. Nor the sniffle, which upon closer scrutiny sounded suspiciously like stifled laughter.

The mingled brownish darkness and red suddenly tickled my nose. I twitched. I reflexively sniffed to try and get rid of the itch. What a curious sensation. It seemed I was lying in what appeared to be my duvet, under some canopy surrounded by strawberries that I could only see, not smell. Though maybe that was just because I was in said brownie-reddish darkness. I reached out a hand and patted something soft.

Sudden realisation dawned, crashing upon me like a ton of bricks stamped with the word "MORON" across them. I _was _lying in my duvet. In the dark. Surrounded by the strawberry scent of Susie's shampoo. I was not feeling like I wanted to get up because it was _not_ morning yet. And I _couldn't _get up because Susie was crouched on top of me, her hair surrounding my face as she peeked at me, waiting for me to realize my seemingly non-perilous situation.

Aha! I wasn't to be fooled. This _was_ Susie we're talking about here.

"Hannah?" A little whimper sounded out, breathy and quiet through the still air, though it sounded like she had shouted it compared to the motionless silence surrounded us. How could I ignore her? I'm not that cruel. Actually, scratch that. I'm not cruel at all. I remember us trying to be rebels once in the lower school.

We thought we'd start small – nothing too taxing for us like stealing or making people cry or sending nasty looks and poisonous comments about people. Let's face it, our little family of four don't have difficulty being honest with each other at the worst times, if we can see how things can get better. But with other people, we usually found ourselves just not commenting, rather than lying by implication if it would hurt someone's feelings. I certainly don't like to be mean to people to their faces, let alone behind their backs.

The whole thing came about in second year. Each of the houses were getting cocky, being complacent about how their house was far superior than all the others. Now, a bit of light hearted competition is rather enjoyable. Don't get me wrong – I'm not a spoilsport, but I really think that there are times to draw the line. I love quidditch games. There's nothing like healthy rivalry to booster a house's spirits and unity. The atmosphere on the pitch is amazing – all the banners waving proudly in the air, cheers and whistles egging the players on.

But I suppose I prefer positive encouragement as a whole rather than negative reinforcement. It's just not nice to deliberately belittle and pick on weak aspects to draw attention to some totally not relevant point about a person or a house. Just because Hufflepuffs are loyal to each other doesn't mean that they can't be rebels. If it would benefit ourselves, we would lie to someone else just as much as a Slytherin if it meant we could stick together.

And we're not weak willed either. Just because _some_ Gryffindors are abnormally stubborn and headstrong does not make us weak willed compared to them. Compassion is not a weakness. Of course, the Ravenclaws were twittering on about how our trust was not the clever option. But what really annoyed me was that they just refused to listen when we replied that the best option was not necessarily always the cleverest or most logical one.

Well anyway, Susie and I thought we would show them why Hufflepuff should not be picked on – that we were just as much rebels as any other of the houses. So, as I was saying, we thought we'd start small.

At break, when no-one was watching, we snuck into a girl's bathroom. We pretended to be doing our make up and talking. When we washed the foundation smears off our hands, we decided to leave the taps running. Both of us had dashed out of the bathroom, our faces a mixture of elation and nervousness.

We scampered back about five minutes later to turn them off again, feeling guilty.

So yet again, like the good friend I am, tried to lean up on my elbows to see what Susie wanted.

"Are you awake?" She checked. I detected a quivering note in her voice. Oh dear. This sounded like a dangerous mission. I sighed, and decided I could deny her no longer.

"Yes, what's wrong?" I shoved a bit and she moved off me with a loud rustling. I'm sure she was trying to be quiet. I didn't mention her lack of grace, though I inwardly smirked to myself. I lifted the covers up for her so she could climb in beside me; the brownish-red mass of what I now recognized to be Susie's wavy curls no longer impairing my vision. It was still almost as dark.

I smiled to myself as the hole in the hangings let a little bit of moonlight in. Still, it was only enough to see outlines, rather than the individual features. I didn't think she was crying though. If she was, I doubt she would have asked – just pounced on me and sniffled in my ear until I woke up to hug her back.

"I've been thinking," she whispered, "well, more like worrying. After you went off to the library with Ernie, I talked to Justin. And I was thinking that if something went wrong, assuming he liked me back and everything… would all four of us still be friends?" I sat there, dumbfounded, but I didn't interrupt her. It sounded like she had put a lot of effort into thinking this.

"He's rich and his family's got the hotel to bring in more galleons than I can count, and I've never noticed how he actually pronounces every single letter of what he's saying. I was watching his mouth when we were talking. It moves differently to other people – more sophisticated and clever and smart and sexy and everything I'm not!" I blinked. Justin did seem to have it all. But I don't really think his family cared about him the way we do. Not that I'd ever tell him that of course. They're really proud of him that he's a wizard and he'll be able do things that they'd never dream of doing. But I still think that deep down his family are wondering why he didn't go to Eton. That they think whoever took up his place didn't fully deserve it.

"Maybe we should have some girl time. I think we've been really focused on the boys lately. Yeah it's fun and all that and they're our friends and we love them to pieces, but I really just don't want to worry about boys. Okay, so maybe I do have something to worry about. I'm sixteen and I don't know how to kiss. Oh God, how embarrassing is that? Apart from that party where my mouth was assaulted, I really don't know how to kiss. I'm sure that wasn't a good example. I'm not even sure if that boy even knew my name. His mouth was all slimy and his tongue felt like and octopus tentacle, if you know what I mean."

We muffled our giggles at the mental images. "I'm not entirely sure that Justin knows exactly what he's doing either, Suz." I whispered back, "But maybe we should check it out. On Friday no-one will be in the library. There has _got_ to be some information somewhere. We'll have a mooch about, slyly take some books out and scuttle back up here. By the end of the week we'll have unchipped manicures and some knowledge!"

My plan sounded too good even to my ears. But still, I reckon Susie had a point. Everything had been about the boys themselves lately. We needed some chill out chicks–only moments. We decided to invite the rest of the girls and paint our nails and talk fashion and do other girly things. We needed to natter about each other more than the boys.

I didn't want to end up isolating myself. In the unfortunate even that Ernie and I would get together only to split up, I didn't want to be left with nothing other than chocolates. And as much as I love Honeydukes, I don't want the major relationship in my life to be with a box of chocolates. You know, when you read about these girls who think they've found the perfect wizard, and then some catastrophe happens and it all goes pear shaped. That was _not_ going to be us. Well, as my mum says "There's no use crying over spilt potions".

And in my experience, Mum is _always_ right.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_So the time has come for me to get down on my knees and grovel for your forgiveness. I am so, so sorry for not writing for so long. I especially want to give a big thank you to breeza13 who, new to this story, reviewed on every single chapter. I thought that really did deserve an update for having faith in a story that I had not updated for over a year. I really hope some of you are still interested._

_Reviews are very much appreciated and encouraged._


	7. Us Time

**Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine; conspiracy time.**

-

**Caring and Sharing**

-

_Chapter __7 – Us Time_

"Come on, ladies, hurry up, please. Abbott, Bones! We haven't got all day, darlings, I'd really like to get a good look in at _Flora and Fauna_ this morning!" Professor Sprout's motherly shout rang out over the scuffling and chatter as she chivvied us out of the castle and along the path to Hogsmeade. The twins, Emma and Rose flitted through the crowd as they tried to keep up with us, Lisa striding ahead of all four of us.

My alarm had decided that I needed a little extra beauty sleep and so it had been a bit of a dash for the Hufflepuff 6th year girl's dorm this morning. As much as I appreciate my dear little clock's thought, today really was not the best day for such kindness.

"Where are we going first?" Emma managed to grab onto my hand as Rose aimed for Susie. Try as I might, I couldn't tell which one of them had spoken. They were identical in every aspect apart from their hair. They'd been dying it the same way since Second Year because people had had such a hard time guessing which one was which.

Although the girls looked the same, their personalities differed as much as their contrasting hairstyles. Emma's blonde pixie bob reflected her sunny disposition. Rose had always been the quieter twin, though in my opinion, her thoughts were much deeper than her sister's; her dark chestnut curls draped around her shoulders to her mid back. If I'm really honest with myself, they're not the prettiest of the female population around here, but I'm hardly model material either…

…Which is less than can be said for Lisa. She was even in Witch Weekly once! The copy had even made its way into the Slytherin common room, apparently. She does have a bit of a temper, though. Yes, she works to try and be nice to people, but sometimes she snaps with a bite as fierce as a crocodile.

Anyway, what am I doing rambling on about the girls? Here we all were, shrouded in fluffy coats and scarves on our way to doing a little bit of well earned retail therapy. It had been absolutely ages since we've had a totally boy-free indulgence day, and we were witches on a mission today!

The plan was to have a little catch up on everybody's lives with a bit of gossip here and there. As Susie and I had decided, enough was enough with the whole obsessing thing. Yes, the boys were wonderful. No, they hadn't actually asked us out yet, but we were pretty sure they were going to. So no, we didn't need to pay them attention every single minute we were free.

By the time I had zoned back in, everyone else was having an animated discussion about where they all wanted to see. Honeydukes was a given, of course. Lisa wanted to have a look around Gladrags, which most of us agreed was a good plan (bar Emma, who isn't that fond of clothes shopping). Still, we all wanted to stick together, so that meant me compromising to go into Zonko's for Susie and following Rose around Flourish and Blotts if we all had a rest at the end of it in The Tree Broomsticks.

Our plot set, we walked off with renewed vigor down the winding path at the edge of the forest towards the village. I just love looking around people in the crowd and discussing what they're wearing. Some people look really nice, but when you look at others, it really does make me wonder if they've actually got mirrors in their bedrooms. My mirror would _never_ let me go out looking such a state.

Susie giggled as we passed one particularly ugly old crone and Rose elbowed her in the ribs to shut her up. The old bat was dressed in an ill-fitting purple dress that hung off her in all the wrong places. Her black straggly hair really did need to be washed, as well.

"Maybe we should buy her a hairbrush?" Emma muttered in my ear. I chuckled despite my best attempts to hold it in. The woman turned to stare at us as we walked alongside us to give us an especially foul glance. We shared raised eyebrows and widened eyes indicating that we thought she was a little strange as we hurried around the corner.

"Oh my God, did you see that witch?" Susie asked disbelievingly, even though she knew that we all had seen the eyesore.

"I know, seriously, doesn't she have a mirror?" I agreed, voicing my thoughts.

"Maybe she does," Rose giggled, "but maybe she just doesn't have a reflection!" I looked at her, a puzzled look on my face unsure about what she meant.

"Yeah!" Emma agreed enthusiastically, "Maybe she's a _vampire_!"

Susie rolled her eyes. We didn't need to go any further down that conversation. It was one we'd heard oh, only about a thousand times already. We had a running joke that the twins were on Vampire-Watch, ready to catch out the vampires that Draco Malfoy was smuggling into the castle from his creepy Manor Estate.

"No." Lisa and I chimed in, her disagreement embellished with a few choice words I'd rather not be repeated in front of my mother, thank you very much.

"Yeah, Em," Susie thought about it, "I mean, I know Draco Malfoy's a bit of an strange guy with weird tastes, but I doubt he'd go for _her_."

"What," I turned to face Susie, "You reckon he's more into the Beautiful Siren-turned-Vampire Seductress?"

Consequently, the rest of the shopping trip was spent discussing the intricacies of Draco Malfoy's love life (or lack of). Okay, so maybe the day wasn't _quite_ boyless. But you have to admit, Malfoy has always been a bit of an exception.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Later that evening, I found myself surrounded my chocolate, hair potions and nail polish as we lounged around having a girlie night in. Emma had brought her muggle hair straighteners in and was brandishing them about, trying to get the wires untaffled. How she managed to master a lightening charm on that little metal bit at the end, I'll never know.

But then again, I really couldn't understand why she would even bring her straighteners when she could just use SleekEze's hair care range. Admittedly, it's a bit expensive and takes a while to set in, but still. It's a lot easier than the torture she was putting Susie's hair through. Nevertheless, we were having fun.

That is, until Professor Sprout burst in through the door, a worried expression on her face. We froze, wondering if she was going to tell us off for messing up the room, but she managed a weak smile as she looked around, almost apologetic for spoiling our fun.

"There's…" she paused, her eyes fixing on each of out faces in turn, "There's been another Death Eater attack." She concluded, her voice wavering a little through its usual strength.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_It's a little shorter than usual, but I thought you'd like a new chapter. That is, if there's anyone still out there ;)_

_It would be excellent to hear from you all again._

_Reviews are very much appreciated and encouraged._


End file.
